Shane’s in the team ... because he’s Worth it
HIS first season in senior football has been something of a rollercoaster ride for Shane Elworthy - but he couldn’t have been happier on Friday night after netting a double in the 5-1 victory over Cobh Wanderers.
A strong contender for Man of the Match in Drogheda’s previous home game against Cork City, the 20-year-old was in top form again and felt he owed it to his teammates to score after events in the match with Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds seven days earlier.
‘I had to make up for last week because I had two sitters against Bray, so I’m delighted to get on the scoresheet - my first senior goals,’ he enthused.
‘I wouldn’t have backed myself to score at all, but funnily enough a few of the boys said to me you’re going to score after getting in around those areas last week!
‘We went through a bit of a patchy spell, but you are always going to go through spells like that during games. We got through it and got a few goals and finished it off, so it was just a great feelingling of relief afterer the game.’
Elworthy was forced off in the last few minutes after taking a heavy blow to the ribs, him deim depriving of the opportunityrtunity to go for an unlikely hat-trick, but he insisted he would be okay and wouldn’t need painkillers when manager Pete Mahon enquired about his wellbeing afterwards.
The former Fulham youth player had to play second fiddle to Colm Deasy at the start of the current campaign, before getting his chance when the latter picked up an injury mid-season.
The low point for Elworthy came in May at Turner’s Cross where he was substituted at half-time after an uncomfortable 45 minutes against Cork City’s Stephen Dooley, with the Boynesiders already trailing 4-0. To be brutallbrutally honest, any one of DroghDrogheda’s startinstarting XI coulcould have beebeen sacrificed rificsacrificed aftafter that disdismal peperformance, maperformance, but ElwElworthy didndidn’t even make the subs bebench for the nexnext game and DeaDeasy was back in the team at right-full.
However, the unfortunate Deasy has since picked up another injury, Elworthy has regained his place and this time he has grabbed the opportunity with both hands. ‘The last five or six games we’ve really started to come together as a team,’ he pointed out, agreeing that team spirit has improved.
‘The mood around the training ground is brilliant and all the boys are starting to play good football, as you’ve seen. Against Bray and the likes of Cork we played nice stuff and again tonight, so it’s starting to come together.
‘I knew we hadn’t scored here in our last eight games, but we got five tonight. Chris [Mulhall] has been brilliant since he came in. He got two tonight and he’s creative. He spins in behind and offers himself to feet as well.
‘It’s brilliant playing with Dave [Mulcahy] as well because he just has that bit of experience and he’s always talking. He makes you feel comfortable, particularly with the young boys in the team like myself. He’s always talking and his experience with the back four is brilliant and great to have.’
Attention now turns to Drogheda’s quarter-final tie the weekend after next and Elworthy agreed that the squad now have an extra pep in their step.
‘We haven’t given up on the league until it’s mathematically impossible - we’ll keep fighting,’ he insisted, ‘but the cup has given us a new lease of life. We can go on a nice little run and anything can happen in the cup.
‘We’ll take anybody in the next round because we’re in good spirits and we’re playing well.’